JetBlue readies for Worcester takeoff

JetBlue will launch service in Worcester this afternoon, reviving an airport that has been without passenger flights for 20 months.

The inaugural flight, carrying local residents as well as some city officials, will head to Fort Lauderdale around 4 p.m. The first flight to Orlando will take off from Worcester tomorrow.

JetBlue plans to fly one plane daily to each Florida city. Depending on the success of those flights, the airline may add more flights or more destinations in the future.

New York-based JetBlue Airways Corp. is the first airline to serve Worcester Regional Airport in several years. The airport, run by the Massachusetts Port Authority, has struggled to hold on to passenger service. The charter service Direct Air abruptly left Worcester in 2012 amid financial problems.